This invention relates to the mounting of shed snake skins for scientific or decorative purposes.
All snakes periodically shed a portion of their skins in a process referred to as desquamation. The frequency of desquamation of skin shedding, is about 6 times annually for a young snake, and between 1 to 3 sheds per year for a mature adult. However, bodily damage or excess heat can increase the number of sheddings per year by prematurely triggering the desquamation process.
During desquamation, the entire exterior part of the snake is cast off, usually in one single piece. This includes the scales, the skin between them, the transparent eye scale, the lips, and even the chambers of the pit vipers are all cast as one continuous skin.
The skin portion which is cast off is called the stratum corneum, and is only the most exterior skin portion or stratum. The entire skin of a living snake is divided into two major layers with the outermost layer divided into two "strata," with only the most exterior stratum being shed. The first layer, the inside layer, is disposed closer to the body and known as the dermis. The dermis is a relatively thick layer. Surrounding the dermis is the relatively thinner layer known as the epidermis which actually is not a single layer, but rather is composed of two sublayers known as strata. The innermost stratum of the epidermis is disposed next to the dermis and is called the stratum germinativum. The outermost stratum of the epidermis is called the stratum corneum, and is the skin "layer" or strata which is actually shed. The other layers remain on the snake.
A shed snake skin, the stratum corneum, may be mounted for display merely for its beautiful appearance as a decorative wall mounting. An even more important use for the shed snake skin, however, is for the advancement of the science of the study of snakes, known as herpetology. For such scientific study, the shed skins provide an ideal means of identification of the various species of snakes, as the majority of the identification characteristics needed to identify specimens are retained with the shed skins.
Moreover, the sloughed off keratinized skin allows the study of individual characteristics within a species. It is a "negative" which can be said to be the "finger prints" of the snake. According to my understanding, no two snakes, even of the same species and geographic range, have the same squamation. Each individual skin has characteristics to separate it from another, whether it be the scale counts, scale arrangement or pattern. All of the aforesaid characteristics are retained in the shed skin.
The actual colors of the individual snake are for the most part retained by the dermis layer of skin below the stratum germinativum. However, the pattern of the snake's color scheme is retained to a great degree in a shed skin which can be compared with the processed negative film, as opposed to the finished photograph. The shed skin does not produce the actual colors, but produces the color patterns of light and dark and shades and tones, much as black and white photography can be compared to color photography of the same object. Thereby color pattern, which is faithfully reproduced in the stratum corneum provides an excellent means of identification of species and study of the individual differences of particular snakes within the species.
Accordingly, it is desirable to utilize a method of mounting which will preserve all of the inherent identifying characteristics of the shed skin and provide an attractive and lasting display of the myriad characteristics of each specimen.
It should be noted, however, that the mounting of a shed snake skin presents quite different problems from the mounting of commercial "skins." The decorative snake skins which one may see in commercial use, such as snake skin jewelry, belts, shoes, purses or book binding, comprise the entire epidermis and dermis. They are obtained only by killing the snake. Because such skins or hides are comprised of the strong and thick epidermis and dermis combination, the treatment of such "commercial" skins is entirely different from the treatment which can be afforded to a shed skin which is only the thin stratum corneum and requires special treatment in mounting.
As stated by L. M. Klauber, volume one, second edition of "Rattlesnakes, Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind," at page 352:
"Despite the fact that the skin is shed in a single piece, it is delicate and frangible, with little tensile strength. Such a shed skin should not be confused with durable and ornamental snake skins whose commercial uses are described elsewhere (p. 1057). These commercial skins include the entire epidermis and dermis as well; the snakes must be killed to secure them."
This delicateness presents a problem in removing foreign particles and wrinkles. The presence of foreign particles and wrinkles are usually an integral part of a shed snake skin. When a snake sheds its skin, the skin becomes inverted so that the inside becomes the outside. The inside of the skin is moist. Accordingly, this freshly shed skin will pick up and adhere to foreign particles with which it comes in contact. Moreover, due to the moisture at shedding, the shed skin has folded areas or creases where two damp sides have come into contact with each other.
Because the shed snake skin is so delicate and frangible, it is difficult to mount without tearing or unsightly bulges. The difficulty of mounting is enhanced by the problem of removing the wrinkles and foreign particles without tearing the skins. As a result, the shed skin cannot be treated as one would treat the hide of an animal, including the hide of a snake (i.e., the dermis and epidermis). For example, a process such as described in the Allen prior art U.S. Pat. No. 1,009,881 would not be applicable. Similarly, the use of chemicals, such as are used in tanning animal skins, including reptiles, is expensive and undesirable.